Just Ask Terry

My 51 year old daughter has been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis.

Q. Dear Terry, “My 51 year old daughter has been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. She is aware of the foods that can trigger a flare-up (acid, spicy, coffee, alcohol, etc.) and tries to avoid them. The physicians she has seen have not offered any help - only pain meds. Do you have suggestions?” — Darla A, Anchorage, AK

A. Dear Darla, Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a very painful and troubling condition, brought on by chronic inflammation of the bladder wall. While both men and women can experience IC, it is about 10 times more common for women.

Medical professionals are still not certain of its exact cause. While most of the time the inflammation is caused by a bacterial infection called a urinary tract infection (UTI), IC can also occur without an infection being present. UTIs and/or IC can be quite tricky to manage; so first and foremost, I encourage your daughter to continue to work with her health care practitioner to determine the best treatment plan. I can make some recommendations, but that never replaces a doctor’s care and oversight. That said, I do have some safe and effective nutrients I believe can help.

Your daughter may want to consider adding Angelica (Angelica archangelica) to her daily regimen. Angelica archangelica grows in Iceland and has been used in folk medicine for centuries – the Vikings even used this herb as a form of currency. In fact, banning the theft of angelica was actually written into some of the earliest law books in Iceland about 1,000 years ago!

Angelica archangelica extract will help strengthen bladder muscles and increase bladder capacity. When choosing a formula, make sure your daughter looks for one that features an aqueous (water) extract of Angelica archangelica leaves that has been clinically-studied. I’d recommend that she start by taking 100 mg – once in the morning and once at night.

Your daughter would also benefit greatly by adding a strong, absorbable curcumin to her daily regimen. Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is a potent antioxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory that works via multiple pathways. I recommend taking 750 mg of high absorption curcumin twice daily. Keep in mind that standard curcumin is very poorly absorbed, so make sure the product your daughter chooses features a curcumin with excellent absorption that has been proven in published human studies. The best form I have ever found uses curcumin blended with turmeric essential oils. This unique curcumin has been shown in published human studies to be better absorbed than standard curcumin.